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HAVOC ON HWY 5
TEXAS BOUND
An eyewitness tells her story of a close encounter / Page 8
Karlie Sloan making tracks Stateside on volleyball scholarship / Page 22
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MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
THE RETURN OF THE
GRIZZLY TORQUE
Ian Webster/Herald
How a piece of history was remade in the Nicola Valley David Dyck THE MERRITT HERALD
It’s the subject of articles, news stories, and potentially a documentary. Nearly half a century ago it travelled through continents, forded rivers and crossed jungles, carrying two young men who would go on to achieve great things in their respective fields. Now, the old Land Rover named Grizzly Torque has been rediscovered and brought back to life. It was one of the vehicles parked in Central Park last weekend for the annual Show ‘n’ Shine. But one thing that isn’t as well known about
Grizzly Torque’s resurrection is that a big part of it is thanks to craftsmen and workers in the Nicola Valley. To understand the significance of the vehicle, we have to rewind to 1956. Two young men, Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster, had the custom Land Rover made in England, before taking it 60,000 kilometres around the world. They visited India, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia, recording their adventures for the Toronto Telegram.
See ‘A Labour of love’ Page 3
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Chamber proceeding with caution as country music festival returns Michael Potestio THE MERRITT HERALD
It’s a wait and see year for the chamber of commerce when it comes to the Rockin’ River Music Festival. Reviving the country music scene in Merritt, this four-day event has been ongoing for six years in Mission, B.C. and will host its first festival in the Country Music Capital of Canada this weekend. Etelka Gillespie, the chamber of commerce’s manager, said the festival’s inaugural year in Merritt is being used to gauge the community’s response, and is essentially a fact-finding year. Chamber of commerce director Julie Van Koll said that while the music festival was well established in Mission, it hasn’t been established yet in Merritt. This is essentially why the chamber of commerce will be testing a modest roster of business-stimulating activities for the festival, including an outdoor mall at Spirit Square, shuttle bus stops between businesses and the festival grounds and an activity based on the TV show The Amazing Race. The chamber of commerce has also recruited nearly 50 volunteers from the community to work the beer garden at the festival, Van Koll said. In exchange for their services, volunteers will be given free pass-
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es to the festival, and the chamber of commerce will be getting a cut of the alcohol sales. Gillespie said she wasn’t willing to disclose what it is costing the chamber of commerce to host these initiatives to the Herald. She said a small volunteer pool to draw from has limited what initiatives the chamber of commerce can accommodate. “If we had more volunteers, our resources would be way better,” she said. Gillespie said she doesn’t know what type of cash-flow injection the Rockin’ River Music Festival will bring to Merritt. “We have to monitor it this year to find out,” Gillespie said. Rockin’ River Music Festival organizer Kenny Hess said they sold fewer tickets than they expected to heading into the festival. “We have a smaller than usual crowd, but we’re excited and we’re looking forward to the show,” Hess said. Last October when Hess announced his festival was coming to Merritt, he said he’s hoping the event draws about 15,000 people per day to the site. “We’re at half that,” Hess told the Herald on Wednesday in a phone interview.
See ‘Fewer tickets’ Page 5
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(excluding Lumberjack & Poor Boy Sub Sandwiches 1 - Coca-Cola Product, 500 ml 1 - Old Dutch Chips, 40 g
7
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